How To Date Your Teacher
by Tovinar
Summary: This is a couple of ways that Aria and Ezra could have been found out. I figured I might as well get this out there before everyone really does find out and my story is moot. Please read and review.
1. Lesson 1

_So this is basically just a collection of ways that people could have found out about Aria and Ezra. I'll post the episode/s that each scenario is associated with. Yeah, some of them are a little cliché, perhaps all of them, but they were fun to write. Reviews are always appreciated. I organized it as lessons, and I thought that was rather funny._

_I re-uploaded this chapter because my strategically placed white space wasn't present, which totally ruined the way I changed characters. That's it. And some grammar. And a sentence or two that I'm still fiddling with. You know what else doesn't show up? Bigger/smaller writing. I'm really upset because it looks so much cooler on my computer than on the website. *sigh* I suppose we must accept our limitations._

**Lesson 1: Never kiss your teacher in public, no matter how alone you think you are**

Sometime between episodes 1x20 and 1x22, because of the boyfriend reference. Take that away and it could be anytime after... ep. 15 ish.

Ezra sat at his desk, grading papers. It was late, but it was more comfortable to grade here than at his apartment, where every item reminded him constantly of her. He couldn't even sit on the couch anymore without thinking of Aria, her warmth beside him as they watched movies together. Eating alone was a misery when he knew the heightened feeling he would have if she was with him. It would be ridiculous to be around each other all the time, but he wished that they could be together more often than their position allowed.

And seeing her in his classroom every day, without being able to hold her to him only made things worse. Every look they shared with each other, every subtle touch just built the sexual tension that had permeated into their relationship. He could barely look at her without thinking of the way she would feel and taste. Of running his hands through her perfect hair and pressing his lips against hers.

The hour hand of the clock moved slowly around its face. The sun sank lower and lower, and Ezra stopped for a moment as the sun's rays turned a bright orange and lit up the room. And, as with everything these days, he thought of Aria.

He pushed the thought from his mind; looking dismally at the papers left to grade. Slowly the room darkened, though the bright classroom lights kept the shadows at bay. He was slowly tiring, but he wanted to finish grading the papers before the weekend. He knew that some people were impatient with how soon they got back their papers. He didn't notice the footsteps that came down the hallway.

_~*T*~_

Aria stopped at his door, then, smiling devilishly, walked into the room. She saw him glance at her, then turn around completely.

"Aria," he said.

"It's late. Shouldn't you do this tomorrow?" she walked over to his desk and leaned against it.

"I wanted to finish them before the weekend. I've procrastinated on them all week and Spencer's been asking me when they'll be done."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Spencer needs to chill. You should come home."

His heart leaped at the word 'home'. Not 'your home', just 'home'.

"I should." he sighed, then looked at his work, almost reluctant to stop now.

Aria, ignoring his need to work, piled his paper into a pile, and he watched her, a slight smile on his face, loving the way she deftly took charge of the situation. He got up, and stretched. She glanced coyly at him, looked around to make sure they were alone, then came over, taking his hands into hers.

He looked down at her; her wide eyes, her perfect hair. Almost unconsciously, he leaned down to kiss her. She rose to meet him, standing on tip toe. Her arms snaked their way up his arms to hold his neck. His wrapped around her waist.

Her lips pressed into his, the feeling of their kiss sending energy shooting through her entire body. Her hand moved down to rest on his chest.

_~*T*~_

Ella Montgomery was not in the best of moods. She had forgotten her phone at the school, but hadn't noticed up to now because she had been talking with Byron; always an energy draining feat. Now she had to return to the dark school, hope it wasn't locked, and retrieve it.

She let her mind wander to her family. Ever since they had returned to Rosewood, there had been problems. First, she had noticed Aria's strange behavior towards Byron, who had told her it was nothing to worry about. She had also noticed, since she had been watching Aria very carefully at the time, that things weren't going well for her on other fronts; she was having trouble fitting back into school. Then Ella had gotten the letter from A, whoever that was, and she had stopped paying much attention to her kids at all. She could tell that Byron had too; most of their energy went to dealing with each other. Once Ella had begun paying attention to the rest of her family, she had noticed that neither of her kids was doing well. Mike had been getting into fights, and he had been lagging behind on his homework. Only for a little while, however, as Aria had begun to coerce him back into normal life. Not that he didn't still get into fights, but at least his grades weren't dipping.

Aria was a whole other concern. She had since bonded again with her friends, but Ella had a feeling that there was something really wrong. Pressure was probably some of it. Ella had learned, from asking Byron what _he_ did, that Aria was the one who was now cleaning and taking care of Mike. It was definitely not healthy; she didn't seem to be getting much sleep, and had grown increasingly irritable. She also appeared worried every time her phone rang, though she was able to cover it up quickly, leaving Ella wondering if she had just imagined the fear. It always amazed her that Aria was so good at lying. But then, she had lied to her for over a year about Byron's cheating. Ella shook her head. And now, apparently, there was a _boy_. Not that she wasn't glad that Aria could concentrate on things other than her family's disintegration. Or the problems around her best friend's murder, especially with Spencer being a person of interest, and the fact that Hannah had been run over by a car earlier. Ella shook her head. When it came to Aria, Ella was often surprised that she was functioning at all. She wasn't quite sure what was going on with the murder investigation, but having your best friend be accused of murdering your other best friend was bound to have its pitfalls.

She did worry about the secrecy that Aria felt was necessary to put around this new boy. Ella had tried several times to subtly ask her questions about him, but every time Aria switched the subject and wouldn't discuss him at all. And if Ella pushed, then Aria simply became defensive and still wouldn't tell her a thing. Byron was also worried, so much so that she had caught him about to look through Aria's things. She understood the urge, especially with the cops crawling over everything connected to Alison. But she would never want to intrude on Aria's privacy like that, and had made sure Byron knew she didn't think it was allowable for him to either.

She had retrieved her phone, and was walking back outside when she that there was light down one of the corridors. She wondered which teacher was working so late; it was already nine. Or, perhaps someone had forgotten to turn off the lights. More out of curiosity than anything else, she went down the lit hallway.

She recognized which room it was coming from before she reached it: Mr. Fitz's. She walked down to his room, then stopped when she could see inside. A gasp escaped her lips.

_~*T*~_

Aria was standing in the room, making out with her teacher. Aria's hands had found themselves under his shirt, gently caressing his skin, while his hands were relatively chastely holding her against him. Aria let her mouth stray from Mr. Fitz's, nuzzling his neck with her lips. He held tighter onto Aria, letting his head fall back, baring his neck more to her gentle caresses. His eyes were closed in bliss.

Ella's mind stopped for a second, then her anger flared. She stalked over to the classroom door, and flung it open, watching as they jumped quickly apart and turned to stare at her with wide eyes.

"M-mom! What are you doing here?" Aria asked, startled.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Ella, folding her arms and training a cold glare on both of them.

"I asked you first," said Aria, stalling for time.

Aria glanced at Ezra, who was nervously running his hands through his hair and staring at the floor, trying to go unnoticed. Not that Aria thought her mom would listen to him at the moment anyway. Her gaze went back to her mom.

"_I_ came here for my phone. What did you come here for?" her mom's voice had a cold edge to it.

"W-well, I, um," Aria looked over at Ezra again. He caught her gaze, worried, almost afraid. Both clearly conveyed the same question in their eyes: _now what?_

"Yes?" Aria turned back to her mom.

What to say? This had never been the way she was planning on telling her mom. "I came here to, you know," she paused, looked down at the ground.

"Make out with your English teacher?" finished her mom for her.

Aria blushed. "Yeah, that's, um, that's what I, we," Aria caught Ezra's gaze again, linking the two of them. "we were doing."

"I assume there's some sort of explanation behind this." Ella looked from one to the other. Aria had raised her head again, and was looking at her mom with a shade of defiance, as if she was thinking about silently daring her to tell her she was wrong. Ezra looked like a little kid who'd been caught with his hand in a box of cookies.

"Well- we're dating. You know, we _have_ been dating, for a while now." she paused, then continued uncertainly. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Ella pointedly looked at Ezra, who was staring at his feet again. "Any reason I shouldn't?"

"Because I asked?" Aria tried to smile sweetly.

Ezra smiled slightly at that, and Aria, constantly watching him from her peripheral vision, grinned slightly too. Her mom, however, did not smile.

"Do you two have any idea what you're doing? You're dating your student for heaven's sake!" Ella directed her last comment at Ezra.

_~*T*~_

"I'm aware of that." he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. His voice had come out thin, begging. She would hate him, he was sure she would. She probably already did.

"And what, that didn't set off any red bells? You just decided, what the hell?"

He looked up at Ella. "No, I didn't just decide 'what the hell'. I just-" he stopped and shrugged his shoulders, not sure what to say. 'I fell in love' probably wouldn't go over well at the moment. He looked at Aria for support. She gave him a look of love in return, then turned to her mom.

"It's not like it's his fault. I made my choice, too." she was definitely more sure of herself now that she was protecting him from attack.

"Clearly not a very good one! Did you just forget that your he's your _teacher_, Aria?" asked Ella.

She didn't even have to look at Ezra to feel the irony of those words. "No. I definitely don't _ever_ let the fact that he's my teacher slip my mind." She matched her mom's glare, crossing her arms in an instinctual mirror of her mom. Ezra marveled briefly at how alike they were. "It's not exactly an easy fact to miss. No proper dates, no hand holding, no telling anyone. Trust me mom, if I could forget it I would."

Ezra's gaze fell to the floor again. He knew how much she was giving up to be with him. Her stating it in such a blunt fashion was painful, but clearly they also kind of reached her mom, who glanced down briefly.

It was clear that the argument was between Aria and her mom by now, probably because Ella had realized soon after entering that Aria was the stronger one in their relationship.

_~*T*~_

Ella stopped to take a breath and try to think about this calmly. She still came up with one answer: this was insane. But she doubted that yelling was the way to go here. She tried instead to just get information.

"How long?" she asked under her breath. How long had Aria been sneaking away to meet her _teacher?_

Aria bit her lip. "Since labor day."

"Labor day?" Ella looked up to catch the two of them exchanging another look. This was wrong. She wasn't sure she could watch them gaze at each other like that any longer. "You know what, Aria, we're going home. I won't tell, but I don't want the two of you seeing each other anymore, understood?"

They looked at each other again, this time filled with worry. Then they looked at the floor, and Aria began to leave the room. Then she stopped, and went back to kiss Mr. Fitz softly goodbye. Ella looked away, her mind rebelling against the sight of her innocent sixteen year old kissing her teacher.

"I love you," Aria whispered softly.

"I love you, too," he answered.

Ella bit her lip, then looked back to see them staring into each other's eyes again, as if they were trying to memorize everything about the other.

"Let's go." the strain crept into Ella's voice, and Aria turned and walked past her mom without looking at her. Ella followed, and saw Aria glance back into the room as they passed, sharing yet another look with her teacher.

_Alright guys, most of these are going to be one shots. Just the finding out and some talking about it. If you want me to turn any of them into longer stories, just say so and I'll think about it. I'm here for _your_ entertainment. If I was doing it for only me, then I wouldn't be posting it. I'd just keep it in some far away corner on my computer. So if you don't like something, or think the characters are out of character, then say so. And don't just review saying 'I like it.' That doesn't help me. Gives me an ego boost, yes, but other than that it's kind of useless. Be more concrete. And don't be afraid to tell me I wrote 'as' instead of 'at'. I'm being totally serious, I want to know all the small, stupid mistakes I've made._

_And as far as reviews go, they also remind me that I have a story to write. Because I might forget, you never know. I'm already farther into the second chapter than I would have been had you guys not responded in such an overwhelming fashion. (It was amazing, I don't think I've ever had over 30 emails in my inbox before)_

_P.S. Doesn't it change things to have the parts clearly defined? I think it really shows off my writing better because you can see how I changed viewpoints. You know, Aria calls him Ezra, while Ella uses Mr. Fitz? Things like that didn't make sense on the un-differentiated version. And the differentiation was really hard to make stick. Just thought I'd let you guys know._


	2. Lesson 2, Part 1

_Damn, you guys. I don't think I've ever had over thirty emails at one time. I had no idea there would be such an... enthusiastic response to my story. I mean, I thought it was good, but there were definitely some kinks in it. And the sentence structure wasn't the greatest. You know I tinkered with that one short chapter for about two weeks? And I still don't think I have it right. Anyway, I wanted to reply to some things that were brought up. 1) I never thought about Mona, but now I have a whole thing in my head. Excellent work. 2) Yeah, Ella did kind of ignore Ezra, but Aria did step up to defend him, drawing away enemy fire. 3) Some one mentioned that there would be yelling? That would only happen if they both had a chance to not be shocked and work themselves up over it. I know if my mom caught me kissing my teacher my response would be "I- I- What?" or some combination of vowel sounds before I stopped talking (Which would be totally unappealing, I'm glad Aria handled it better). 4) I might continue it. I've thought about it, and I have a general storyline in my head, but I'll probably get a bit farther here before I go there. It would be an organizational nightmare; I'd have to create all these new folders and everything..._

**Lesson 2: Never kiss your teacher in public, no matter how _far away_ you are**

This is the one we were all thinking of in episode 15.

"I can't believe you drove me all the way here."

"Why not?" asked Byron. He had driven his wife, Ella, to an opening at a museum that she had a ticket for. Her car had stalled, and she had asked him to help out. When it hadn't started, no matter what they did, he had decided to drive her there himself. It had begun as an awkward trip; they hadn't been on good terms since she'd found out he had had an affair with one of his students, but the drive had made them both more comfortable. It was still early; luckily they had decided pretty quickly that the car wasn't starting. And now she was looking at him with the most interesting look in her eyes, almost of wonder. He looked back into her eyes, wondering what exactly had elicited such a response.

"I just, I don't know anyone else who would do that for me." She had looked down before answering, then had returned her gaze to his. He could feel the atmosphere in the car get heavier.

"Well, it's only fair. I was the one who suggested we buy a used car with a kill switch." He tried to keep his answer light, but the depth of his tone gave him away. She nodded and grinned, so he grinned back.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," he whispered back. They looked at each other, and time seemed to stand still. All that existed was the car, and them inside it. All the past had receded, and all that they were left with were their feelings toward each other, feelings that were clearly still strong. She leaned slightly forward and closed her eyes, and he took the opportunity she offered to kiss her.

After they parted, she opened her eyes, slightly grinning, and glanced out the window.

"Is that Aria?"

_~*T*~_

"I can't believe the artist is a no show," said Ezra.

"Right?" agreed Aria. "I mean, if somebody threw me a party with champagne and crab cakes, I think I'd make an appearance."

Ezra grinned. "Yeah. Whenever I show my work, they put out folding chairs and sweaty cheese." The two of them laughed.

"Well, on the plus I'd be there."

"True." He paused. "Are you disappointed? That the artist didn't show?" Aria could hear the worry in his question.

"No," she said firmly. "The only person I cared about seeing is here." She grinned at him and held his hand, which he quickly pulled out of her hold. She looked up at him, and watched as he sighed and grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry. For a second I forgot we were-"

"Not in Rosewood?" she finished. She could tell he was worried he'd messed up, so she continued. "Don't worry about it. When I first saw the limo, I thought I'd be riding in the trunk."

He smiled at that, then kissed her. Right there in the middle of the day, outside, with people walking past. She felt as if she were floating.

"Ready for more culture?" he asked against her lips.

They kissed again, then she murmured "Lead the way."

They kissed once more, just for the feeling of freedom it brought, and then headed back in, hands tightly clasped. Aria felt like the day couldn't get any better.

_~*T*~_

Byron turned around, startled. He quickly found her in a short red dress, standing on the steps talking to a person he couldn't identify, but, from the completely shocked look on Ella's face, she could.

"Oh my god," whispered Ella, as they watched the two kiss on the steps of the museum.

"Ella? Who was that with Aria?" asked Byron hesitantly a few seconds after the two had re-entered the museum.

"It was- it was Mr. Fitz."

"Her _English teacher?_"

"Yeah." Ella simply looked shocked, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Why was she kissing him?" The question didn't require an answer, nor it did receive one.

"I'm going to call her," said Ella, pulling out her phone. She began to dial Aria's number, then stopped and looked at him. "What the hell do I _say?_"

"Well, maybe..." Byron's voice petered off. There weren't exactly many guidelines for how to deal with the fact that your teenage daughter was dating her teacher.

Ella looked at him. "Maybe I should go in, and tell them off?" She made to get up, but her voice belied her hesitancy at that option. Whatever else, it was probably a bad idea to confront her daughter in the middle of a public area. When Byron shook his head no, she leaned back in her chair with a look of relief.

"We could tell her to come home, and talk to her there."

"Mike's there." There was an unspoken assertion in her voice that Mike shouldn't know. At least not until they had dealt with it themselves.

"We _could _just pretend it didn't happen." Ella gave him a dirty look, and he shrugged, rubbing his hands nervously on the wheel. He really didn't want to have a talk with his daughter how teacher-student relationships were wrong, or how lying was wrong. He'd been a bad model for both behaviors.

With a sigh, Ella made up her mind. "I'm going to text her that I saw her and I want her at my apartment. Then we can talk to them."

"Okay." Relieved that the matter had been decided, Byron put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb, heading home.

_~*T*~_

Ezra was standing in front of a painting with Aria, but he wasn't really looking at it. He was watching Aria; the way her hair fell around her shoulders, and the look of contentment that was on her face from the fact that her hand was in his. She looked at him, noticing his gaze.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked.

"Very." he affirmed quickly, not talking about the painting at all. She blushed, then leaned over to him. He leaned in as well, kissing her quickly. It sent a rush of adrenaline through him every time they did that, and while their date was still amazing, especially compared to their usual dates, it tinged the edges of the date with anxiety. He desperately wanted to see more of her outside of his apartment, but even this one day was dangerous for them. Anyone here could recognize them, could end their relationship. Even so, he hadn't thought twice about agreeing to her invite. She looked back at the painting, but the way her fingers tightened around his told him she wasn't really paying it much attention.

A slight buzzing came from Aria's handbag, and with a sigh she pulled her hand out of his to grab it. She flipped it open, and then paled.

"What is it?" he asked, worried. Wordlessly she gave him the phone.

_Aria, I need you at my apartment. I saw you at the museum, we need to talk. -Mom_

All the blood rushed to his feet. He looked up.

"You should call the limo," she whispered.

"Do you want me with you?" he asked as he gave her back her phone.

Aria shook her head. "I'd rather they get angry with me instead of you."

"But-" he began to protest as her phone rang again.

_And bring _him_ with you._

_~*T*~_

"I just don't understand what they were thinking."

It had taken the whole of the hour long drive to her apartment for her to pull herself out of shock, and once they had gotten into her apartment she'd begun pacing, exclaiming her upset about the whole affair. Now, almost thirty minutes after they had arrived, she was simply repeating previous exclamations, and sort of calming down. Byron sat in a chair, quietly thinking about the issue.

"I mean, she's his _student_."

"Yeah, she is." His noncommittal responses weren't overly necessary for Ella's process, and were largely ignored. But he found it helped his own situation; he had come to her apartment and immediately downed a glass of wine. Now he was sipping a second glass trying to calm his own nerves.

"Do you think he's, I don't know, _forcing_ her?"

"Of course. To the museum, to hold hands and look at art. Drink champagne and meet an artist. Sounds like the type of thing you'd force someone to do."

Ella gave him a dirty look.

"Look, Ella, if there's nothing else I could tell from seeing them, it's that he's definitely _not _forcing her."

Ella resumed her pacing. She was as anxious about this meeting nearly as much as Byron was. Byron half hoped he could become part of the wall and simply not go through this at all, but that was more or less impossible. Besides, it probably wasn't very responsible of him, not, he thought, that he had been very responsible lately. Between making out with his student last year, asking Aria to lie for him, and clearly not being able to cope with the house on his own, he felt very irresponsible, and certainly not someone to berate Aria for her recent behavior.

"Could you stop pacing?" he asked.

Ella flung herself into a chair. "I just- I just wish I could understand _why_. I mean, I-" she broke off and held her head in her hands. Byron felt very much like doing the same thing, but at that moment footsteps down the corridor signaled Aria's arrival. Only one set of footsteps though, which probably meant that Mr. Fitz was not with her. Ella stood out of her chair and crossed her arms, all traces of confusion and helplessness gone from her posture. He wished he could be like that with Aria, but she no longer saw him as an authoritative figure and they both knew it, so he didn't even try anymore.

The door opened, and Aria entered.

_~*T*~_

When they had first re-entered the limo, they'd both been extremely nervous, and for the first few minutes nothing more than hand holding had happened. Then they'd kissed. And it was like pouring all of their worry and nerves and anxiety into the passion of the kiss. Aria had been glad, in the back of her mind, that they were in a limo, with a chaperone, and not at his apartment, alone, because at that moment her only thought was to touch him as much as possible. Which could lead to things considerably more intimate than than kissing and that, she knew rationally, was not a good idea. They hadn't talked about meeting her parents, or about what might happen afterward. They just held each other close, trying not to think at all.

When they'd been dropped off at his apartment complex, they'd mutually decided to change. If they were going to be going into her mom's apartment more or less together, it was better to draw as little attention as possible. They'd made their way up to his apartment, separately of course, and changed into more casual clothing. And then there was more making out, which got considerably heated, considering they were both half clothed when it had happened, and there had been no one else nearby. But the fact that her mom was waiting for them broke them apart long enough for them both to finish dressing and get out to Aria's car. They had decided that they'd drive her car, since it would give them an excuse to be together after the meeting, seeing how Aria would have to drive him back home no matter how it went. She drove one handed, her hand still in Ezra's, and she knew he was staring at her as if he would never see her again. She had let him out 5 minutes, by foot, before she got there, so that they wouldn't be entering together, and had driven the rest of the way, her mind going over all the possible receptions that she would get upon entering her mom's apartment.

She walked up to the door, and hesitated a second before she went in.

There was a second of silence after she entered, then her dad remarked, "You've changed."

She looked at her clothes. "Yeah. Umm, we didn't want to attract attention and I've got some stuff over at his place."

"Oh." It was a safe conversation, talking around the issue she knew both her and Byron didn't want to discuss. Had it been just her and her dad, she supposed they would probably have made only small talk, then have gone back to business pretending everything was resolved. She kind of wished her mom would react like that, but knew that hope was in vain.

"Where's your teacher?" asked Ella, tone strict. Which immediately put Aria on the defensive.

"_Ezra_," she said. "is coming. I dropped him off a little ways away so no one would see us entering here together."

"_You _dropped him off? He didn't drive himself?"

"No. I'm going to have to drive him back home."

Ella pursed her lips. Byron snickered, which brought Aria's attention back to him.

"Dad, how many glasses of wine have you had?"

"Just one."

There was an awkward pause as everyone tried to think of something to say, each coming up empty. Finally Aria asked, "You guys aren't going to tell anyone, are you?"

"No," said Byron at the same time that her mom said, "I'm thinking about it."

_So, I know, I know, this isn't finished. But this is getting too long for one chapter, so either I'll finish this conversation in the next chapter or just move on. Depending on how my next topic comes to me (I kind of have the lessons planned out in order because it amuses me. Probably only me, but in my opinion, that's a good enough reason to do it that way). Or I might start that other thing you guys were asking me for, or work on something else I've been asked for (different show), do schoolwork, etc., so I don't know how that's going to go. Anyway, enjoy this, respond to it, tell me about any stupid mistakes I've made, you know, the usual._


	3. Lesson 2, Part 2

_You've convinced me. Here I am, not only finishing up Lesson 2, but I've also done all the organization necessary to write these into longer stories. Which means that now I have no excuse, thanks very much. Loved the reviews, and, as you can tell, I read them. And each one gives me a little jolt of happiness, like a shot of cocaine... Forget that analogy, actually. I don't do cocaine. Really. _

_Anyway, I have only one response to comments this time, since most of them were asking to update and all that (You guys pretty unanimously wanted me to finish this lesson, and that's already been addressed); yeah, these are definitely fun to write. But do you know how hard it is to write this dialogue? Like I said last update, if I was in this situation I would have no words. Literally. And now I have to put words in, because everyone (well almost) is _trying_ to talk about it. Like, what Aria's doing here, even with an hour and a half to prepare, I'd never be able to say or do that. Ever._

_Oh wait, one more thing. "Pretty please with a Pretty Little Liar on top?" Hilarious. _

**Lesson 2, continued**

"But it could ruin his _entire_ career."

"Well, maybe he deserves it if he's dating his students." replied Ella.

"He's not dating _students_, he's dating me."

"You _are_ his student!"

"That's not why we're dating!" Aria looked around and caught Byron finishing off his second glass of wine. "Dad!"

Ella looked at him too. "Byron! Say something."

"Well," Byron looked uncomfortable, even more so since Aria was looking at him with raised brows as if to say, _yes? And your expert opinion is?_ He cleared his throat before continuing, "How do you know he's not seeing other students?"

Aria rolled her eyes, "Because I know _him_."

"Yeah and I thought I knew your father," muttered Ella.

"Ella!"

The doorbell rang.

_~*T*~_

Ezra walked up to the doorway to Ella's apartment. The distinct sounds of yelling came from inside, causing him to pause before he rang the bell. Not too long though, he was still aware of the fact that he shouldn't really be here in the first place. He heard Aria stalk over to the door, and he slipped inside as soon as she'd opened it.

"Hey," the word was barely out of his mouth before she'd kissed him, more as a statement to her parents, he thought, than welcome. She pulled away quickly and replied, "Hi."

She twined her hand in his, then pulled him into the main room of the apartment.

"Dad, this is Ezra. Ezra, Dad. You already know Mom." He gave a small wave of his hand, which was returned halfheartedly by Byron. Ella narrowed her eyes at him. Aria had turned back to him, though, asking, "Do you want to sit down?"

"Uh, yeah, ok." Aria sat him in a seat, then situated herself in his lap. While glaring at her mom. He subconsciously wrapped his arm around her, then lowered it when he saw Ella's glare directed on him.

As Ella was glaring at both of them, and Aria was glaring right back, and Ezra had lowered his gaze and hoped that he could simply disappear, Byron said, "So how long have you two been dating?"

"Since labor day," answered Ezra.

"Oh. How'd you two meet?" continued Byron.

Aria and Ella were still glaring at each other, so Ezra answered, "We met at the Bar and Grill, on 7th street, and we talked. And then I went to class the next day and she, um, was my student."

"So why not just break it off then?"

Ezra nearly flinched under Ella's tone. "I tried."

"Clearly not very well."

"I convinced him otherwise," said Aria, defiant.

_~*T*~_

Judging by the way Ezra's hand was gently wrapping around Aria, Byron guessed it hadn't been that hard to convince him.

Perhaps it was from being introduced to him as Aria's boyfriend, but Ezra didn't seem that much older, or wiser, than Aria. In fact, thought Byron as he watched them, Aria seemed to be the more confident one. He sipped his third glass of wine. Had it been only him, he would've just ignored the matter entirely; Aria seemed fine with the relationship. He was hoping that this wouldn't go on too long, because the longer it went on, the more likely it was that he'd be dragged into the argument again, probably as a bad example, so, despite having many questions about the whole affair, he kept quiet.

_~*T*~_

Ella was somewhere between speechless and angry. Her eyes narrowed in on the way Mr. Fitz was holding Aria – he'd moved it back – the way he held her hand, how comfortable she seemed on his lap. She clearly didn't feel guilty about her relationship, though Mr. Fitz seemed slightly embarrassed. _As well he should_.

"Mom, I think you have to be more honest with yourself, are you angry at us because of what I'm doing, or because of what Dad did?" Aria cocked her head. Ella could feel Byron cringe in the corner, and Mr. Fitz blushed; clearly Aria had told him what had happened.

"I'm not even thinking of your dad," protested Ella.

Aria gave her a _Yeah, right_ look, and Ella looked away.

_~*T*~_

Aria let herself feel the small thrill of victory. She had a feeling that she'd be able to pull this conversation in the direction she wanted. She'd half formulated a plan to convince them based on their initial reactions- her mom wasn't as angry as she could have been- and it seemed to be working. Of course, there was still the chance that her mom would simply remain obstinate on the issue, so Aria quickly pushed the feeling of victory down. She turned to her dad, who she was sure wasn't going to say anything against her decision.

"Dad? Since this _clearly_ isn't about you, what do you think?"

Byron cleared his throat self-consciously as everyone turned to him, and then said, looking apologetically at her mom, "I – It's your decision, Aria."

Aria felt Ezra's hand tighten around hers a little, and she gave him a small grin before she turned back to her mom.

"Mom?" her voice came out half pleading, even though she'd meant to ask simply as a follow up.

Her mom looked at them carefully, thinking, then sighed. "Fine."

Aria let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, and she could feel Ezra relax behind her.

"But no more sneaking around. I mean it. I want to know where you are."

"Of course," said Ezra. Aria hopped off of his lap.

"And right now, I'm going to go spend the rest of my day at Ezra's. You guys did kind of disrupt our date." The words fell out quickly; she didn't want to give her parents the possibility of disagreeing. She turned to Ezra, who'd gotten up as well, and said, "So, you start walking back, and I'll come after you in a minute, k?"

"Alright." He pressed a kiss to her lips before turning to her parents. "Bye." And he left.

After he was gone, Aria whispered softly, "Thanks, Mom. It means a lot to me."

"That's why I did it." Her voice come out tense, then she sighed. "Well. School's going to be rather awkward now."

"Just, you know, act like nothing happened."

"Aria," said Ella. "I can't just treat him like he's just another teacher. He's your _boyfriend_."

"So, are we talking threats of castration?"

Ella rolled her eyes as Aria checked the time, then left, throwing a 'bye' over her shoulder.

_~*T*~_

After Aria left, Byron looked at Ella. "Well. That was interesting."

"Yeah. It was that." Ella sank into a seat. "I can't believe I just let them go."

Byron poured her a glass of wine, which she accepted gratefully. "Are we going to tell Mike?"

_Right. Well, here's the conversation you guys asked for. I don't know, I don't think this is nearly as well written as the other two, so reviews on dialogue would be greatly appreciated. I hate dialogue. As a rule, I don't talk very often, so it's pretty hard to write dialogue. Especially one that's inserted into such an awkward situation because I don't do awkward situations. It's rather hard for me to even watch them on TV. You know that part at the end of episode five where they break up? I've never seen that. Ever. _

_I thought I ought to segue into the whole Mike issue because I talked about it in the last chapter and it came back nicely. Besides, I like endings which don't really end, because stories never do, you know? Anyway, this is all I'll be writing in this story of this particular universe._


	4. Lesson 3

_So, first let's answer comments, then I'll write some stuff about myself and my writing, and then I'll write the story, and I'll add a last little bit of author notes at the end. 1) No offense taken, I'm fairly certain I said myself that that wasn't as good as the previous ones. I think it's because the first two chapters happened to me, while I happened the third chapter myself. 2) Awww, I like happy endings too. If I were to finish these, they would all be happy endings, because as much as tragedy flows easier out of my fingertips, happy endings make you smile. 3) Mike is coming. Not here. I was considering putting it here, and that's actually why it took so long, because, ridiculous as this sounds in retrospect, I needed to know the order of these one shots before writing them. Isn't that odd? I mean, they're not really connected to each other at all. *shrugs* Oh well._

_Actually, I think I covered everything I wanted to say. Well then, here goes:_

**Lesson 3: Don't talk about your relationship anywhere close to public**

This one is set right in epsiode 14. And yes, I changed what Ezra said a little. I just think it's cuter this way.

The loud music blared through the room, reducing, if not eliminating, the ability of the people inside to think clearly. Ezra looked around, but the large throng of people blocked Aria from his view. He had to talk to her; she was upset with him because he'd been with Simone for the dance. Although she hadn't said it, he could tell from the tension that emanated from her every time she saw the two of them together. He walked trough the crowd, glancing around in what he hoped was an inconspicuous manner. Finally he caught sight of her, helping Emily out of the room, as Spencer danced with Ian, Spencer's sister's husband. He barely glanced at the other two, though, he just tried to catch Aria's eye. When she glanced back into the room, their eyes connected, and she lifted five fingers and mouthed _parking lot _at him. He nodded and withdrew.

As soon as he had wandered back into the party, he ran into Simone.

_~*T*~_

Spencer left the party as fast as she could after getting away from Ian. Her mind was in a whirl from what he'd said, and she was trembling under the very real threat of danger. Luckily, she found Aria quickly with Emily, who was still completely drunk and was now staring at the wall as if she'd never seen it before.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey." Aria seemed nervous. "So, I drove myself here, so why don't you take Emily from here, and I'll meet you at your place?"

"Aria, you're not going to confront Ezra are you?" Spencer frowned. This was hardly the time for Aria to get into a jealous fit over her boyfriend, especially since she'd already stopped her from outing their relationship once today.

Aria held her hands up in a proclamation of innocence. "No suicide missions, I promise. We're just going to talk in the parking lot."

Spencer glanced at Emily. "Fine," she sighed.

Aria took a closer look at Spencer. "Are you ok? What did you tell Ian?"

Spencer shrugged. "I told him Emily was talking about the fact that we kissed last summer. He told me," Spencer paused. Emily had turned towards them.

"What did that murderer want?" she asked too loudly.

The other two hushed Emily, who rolled her eyes and muttered something about how he should be in jail. They glanced nervously around to make sure no one heard them, then Spencer continued.

"He told me that you guys better be the only ones who know about that or _someone might get hurt_."

"Oh my god, Spencer. Are you going to be fine with him sleeping in your yard?"

"Yeah. I mean, you two will be with me, and hopefully Hannah, once I find her."

Emily made a noise of contempt, but was ignored by the other two.

"Go on Aria, I'll be fine. Just – get over as soon as possible, k?"

"Of course." Aria pressed her hand to Spencer's shoulder, then left quickly. Spencer grabbed Emily's arm and pushed her toward the exit.

"Come on," she coaxed.

Soon she heard footsteps behind her, and her whole body tensed up, she could feel the adrenaline rush through her system as her heartbeat sped up.

"Hey Spence, wait up!"

A sigh of relief escaped her, it was only Hannah. Still, it was a while before her heartbeat returned to normal. Emily had taken leave of Spencer and gone ahead as Hannah arrived. Soon Emily noticed that the girls weren't with her and she stopped in front of the doors.

"Hey Hannah."

"Are you fine? You totally freaked when you heard me coming."

"I'm decent. I just talked to Ian," Spencer glanced over at Emily. "Emily's drunk."

"Yeah, I know." Spencer looked at Hannah, who shrugged. "She stole my flask. I found her outside a while ago."

Spencer gave Hannah a disapproving look, then said, "I was getting her out of the room before she said anyting even more incriminating. She told Ian she knew what he did."

"No! What did Ian say?"

"I told him she was talking about our kiss, and he told me that it better be just you guys who know or he'd get violent." She wished she could have told everyone this at the same time, she felt rather like a broken record.

"He said he'd get 'violent'?"

"Basically. He said 'someone might get hurt.'"

"That bastard," Hannah shook her head, then the sound of the doors opening as Emily went outside reached them. "Here, I'll help you with Emily. It is kind of my fault."

_~*T*~_

There was probably a proverb out there about what Simone was doing now. Probably something along the lines of 'those who eavesdrop learn things they don't want to,' or perhaps 'eavesdrop and others will do the same to you.' But she couldn't help it. She had always been inquisitive, and her curiosity had been piqued. She had been conversing fine with Ezra all evening, but after Spencer had danced with him, he'd seemed a little withdrawn. And then he'd made some excuse about needing some air, and had left, glancing over his shoulder. And while she would like to believe that he just went to get some air, some part of her thought _he simply has no idea how to be inconspicuous_. So she'd followed, at a distance, of course.

The distance got longer than she intended when she ran into Ella. Ella, of course, asked Simone how the party was going, and how things were going with Ezra. Simone quickly ended the conversation, answering her questions briefly and saying she needed some air. Which made her feel silly, because that was the worst excuse ever, but it was the only thing that popped into her head. _Now I know how Ezra must have felt_. She hoped Ella didn't become as suspicious of her activities as she'd become of Ezra's, but she doubted it. Ella had a distracted air to her that Simone guessed came from the fact that Byron was here. There was so much going on in Rosewood, Simone wasn't completely sure she was glad she returned, though catching up with Aria, who'd been acting weird since she showed up to the dance, and meeting Ezra had been fun.

Simone winced when she heard the loud clang of her high heels against the hard floor of the school's hallway. Feeling more dishonest by the second, she reached down and removed her shoes. She walked down the hallway quickly, hoping to find out where Ezra'd gone to. She was passing the front doors when she saw him through the windows, walking through the parking lot. He quickly disappeared behind behind the rows of cars. _Heading towards the back._ Simone's curiosity was recaptured. She was _sure_ he was doing something he shouldn't be.

Silently, she slipped out of the school, and headed after him.

Feeling ridiculously like a spy from those stupid spy movies, Simone crept closer to where she assumed he was, staying low and making sure she wasn't seen by anyone. At some point she felt that she'd lost him, but she'd moved forward a little and heard his voice, so, crouching one car away, she listened in to his conversation.

"Why would you think I'd want to –"

"Why wouldn't you?" _Was that Aria? What was she doing here?_ "She's beautiful, and she's smart and funny."

"I met her yesterday..."

"She's successful, you love her writing." _Were they talking about _her_?_ "She's your age, I c- I can't compete with that."

"Nobody's asking you to!"

"Yeah, but it's true. You two even look like a couple." Simone's mind was whirling, were they – "You can dance with her, and hold her hand in front of other people. You can leave your apartment at the same time, without having to count to _fifty_."

"Aria, why are we having this conversation? I – I'm already in love. With you."

Simone stifled a gasp. Although the rest of the conversation had led up to it, it was still a shock to have him actually say it. She heard them move forward, slightly, then back at the sound of a group of teenagers laughing loudly. There was a pause.

Torn between wanting to peek up and see what was going on, and crouch even further back into the shadows so as not to be soon by the couple, Simone compromised; she stayed exactly where she was. After all, even the slight sound of movement she was bound to make might register on their radar, seeing how they were already so jumpy. _Their relationship certainly explained a lot of things_, thought Simone. It was even rather sweet.

"I have to go, Spencer's expecting me at her place," said Aria quietly. "I'll call you tomorrow."

And she left. Simone pushed herself against the car as she did, hoping not to be seen. Then Ezra left, running his hands nervously through his hair. Simone got to her feet after she was sure both of them were gone, and wavered, uncertain what to do. She wasn't planning on condemning them, but it felt wrong to not let them know she knew. Then again, she didn't want to let either know _how_ she knew. She frowned, and headed toward her car. She'd sleep on it. Everything would make more sense in the morning.

_Ok. So, there it is. This will actually be the end of this story here because if I were to continue, then I'd have to bring in all the other characters and the plot, and I'm not doing that here. The whole thing would only continue for like another chapter or two before Simone went back to New York, so I'm not sure if I'd continue this in a longer story. But feel free to ask, because I suppose I _could_always write a short little two - three chapter thing which would be short and cute and happy, but would also probably be filled with actual plot and stuff. And you'll be like, wow, this could have actually happened without throwing the plot off. Unless they bring Simone back next season. Part of the reason I don't write a lot of fanfiction is that I hate messing up the story. Like, some of the things I can do could potentially ruin the entire plot line for the entire series, you know? And I never like doing that. (Can't believe I'm actually doing this, while we're on the subject). _

_Anyway, love the reviews, keep them coming. (I haven't messed up? Really?)_


	5. Lesson 4

_I'm not apologizing for the time it takes me to do these. I was going to do a Mona scene, but then I was writing it and it just didn't feel good on my fingers. So I switched. I don't know if I'll get around to her, but we'll see. This scene was rather fun to write, but I feel like without the other side of the conversation, it might be a teensy bit confusing. _

**Lesson 4: You're home does not, in fact, count as private**

This one is set precisely after episode 20. Well, not precisely, precisely. But pretty darn close.

"Yeah, I should be able to come over tomorrow." Aria was lounging on her bed, ear to the phone, on the other side of which was her boyfriend and teacher, Ezra Fitz. She hesitated, wondering if she ought to tell him about the near miss she'd had with her parents. Just recently, she'd accidentally sent a text to her mom that was meant for Ezra. Thankfully it had been really vague, and her mother hadn't guessed who it was meant for. Her dad was worried about it, though. Mike had said he'd caught them in _her_ room, which meant that she could have nothing in it which was even remotely connected to Ezra. Her gaze fell on the book she'd taken from his apartment, the one with his name inside of it. She cringed inwardly. She really needed to put it away somewhere. Not to mention the fact that she had the poem he'd written about her under her pillow.

"_Great, what time?_" He sounded so carefree, so happy and excited. She knew if she told him then he'd only worry. And it wasn't like he could do anything about it anyway.

"Whenever you want me there." Her voice took on a slightly flirting tone, and she could almost feel him smile.

"_I always want you here._" Now _she_ smiled. He was so sweet.

"Well, then maybe I could drop by right after class? Unless you're busy."

"_No. I'm free. I'll wait for you then."_

"I can't wait." She paused. "I'll be thinking of you all day, the way you smell, and the taste of your lips."

She could practically see him blushing.

_~*T*~_

Mike was staring out the window. He ought to have been doing homework, but there really was no one around to make sure he did, and the apathy that was weighing him down just didn't allow for his feet to cross the small area of his room to where his backpack lay abandoned on the floor. He glanced over at it, then let his gaze wander back to the window. Though his mind was wandering in circles, it was all around the same subject: his parents. He had been rather excited when they had begun talking about getting back together. It had been a light at the end of a long winding tunnel, one he'd been stuck in since his mom had found out about his dad's cheating.

They hadn't told him what was going on at first, which had been confusing to no end. He'd simply noticed that they were barely talking to each other, were barely looking at each other anymore. Then they'd begun to argue in the living room, and Aria had filled him in on what had happened. He'd been hurt that she hadn't told him before, and angry at his parents. It had been like everything he had been so sure of had just disintegrated, leaving his world a mess of chaos with no hint of stability or order.

He sighed. He knew his grades had begun to slip, and he'd gotten into fights where before he would have avoided them. It had felt good, though, to get all of his frustration and anger out onto somebody else. Not that his parents had done too much about that. It had been like him and his sister had simply disappeared for his parents, especially him. At least Aria got some notice because of her complicated role in everything, as well as the recent cop activity. All he got was a 'do your homework, Mike,' or a 'sit down and eat with the family.' As if they even had a proper family without Mom there.

But then, at last, there had been some hope. It hadn't been much, just a family dinner. But it had been a huge step after having his parents avoid so much as texting to each other.

And then Aria had to go and ruin it all by pulling them into an argument over her stupid relationships, her stupid boyfriend. It was always about Aria. And he was just the one who walked in while everything was going on. And then that slim chance had vanished.

And it wasn't even like it was all that important. The whole argument, as he understood it, had stemmed from the fact that Aria wouldn't give them her boyfriend's name. Which was ridiculous, because how could one guy be enough to risk sabotaging their parents' relationship over? Why couldn't she just give them the name and let them be happy? Or just make one up? It wasn't like they would know the difference, they barely paid attention to his and Aria's lives anymore.

He stood, tired of sitting in the same place for so long. As he left his room, his homework caught his eyes. A nagging feeling of guilt ate at him as he thought _I'll just do it later_. He wasn't sure he would, but at least thinking that pacified his guilt for the moment.

He made his way into the hallway. He could hear his father downstairs, drinking his coffee as he shuffled through the paper. Standing there, he felt almost like a ghost in his own home, just passively observing everything else. As he walked by Aria's room, he picked up a snippet of her conversation.

"Well, then maybe I could drop by right after class? Unless you're busy."

It wasn't so much _what_ she said as _how_ she said it that told Mike immediately that it was her boyfriend on the other side of the phone. The nameless stranger who had torn apart the life raft he'd only just recently found in the midst of this turbulent sea.

He stopped automatically.

"I can't wait. I'll be thinking of you all day, the way you smell, and the taste of your lips."

A slow anger boiled up inside him. How could she be flirting with him so soon after what had happened? He edged closer to the door, silently. He couldn't help himself; he needed to do something, anything, and going downstairs or doing his homework paled in comparison to finding out exactly who it was that Aria was willing to give up her family for.

She giggled. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Ezra."

Ezra? Why did the name sound so familiar? He subconsciously crept closer to the door, as if hearing her speak better would help him remember the piece of information that was on the tip of his tongue.

She sighed, all traces of previous humor gone. "I wish."

It was infuriating to hear only one half of the conversation, especially since she didn't seem to be the one doing most of the speaking. Maybe if he could just hear his voice, he'd be able to place the name.

"Yeah," her voice was soft, almost defeated. "And until then we'll just... trade glances in English."

And it clicked. Just like that. Noel had said his name first, told him that _Ezra Fitz_ was having an affair with a student. And Aria had freaked. And the next day, the day when Noel had been planning on going to the principal, he'd been suspended. Which meant –

He must breathed sharply, because suddenly Aria got off her bed, and hushed the person, _her teacher_, on the other side of the phone. He froze. He stepped back as he heard her footsteps come up to the door, but didn't move any further than that. After all, he had had every right to listen in to her conversation. It had made complete sense.

The door opened.

"Mike," she said, as she turned off her phone.

He crossed his arms, but didn't say anything. She stared at him for a moment, to stunned to say anything more. Then,

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." his reply was curt.

"I can explain -"

"Explain what? Your secret affair with -" his voice had been rising steadily as he talked, and Aria quickly interrupted.

"Mike! Please, Dad can't know."

It was ridiculous, but he lowered his voice. Even though he had partly been planning on telling Dad himself. But there had been a slight pleading tone in her voice, and he had quieted. And when she motioned him into her room, he entered. She closed the door behind him.

_~*T*~_

Byron looked up, his reading interrupted. He was reading the paper, relaxing after a long week, and there seemed to be some type of commotion upstairs. He sighed. What were the kids fighting about now? Not that he didn't sympathize; the atmosphere in the household since Ella had skipped the dinner had been extremely tense. Aria knew that he'd nearly gone through her room, and she had made it clear that she was being extra careful to make sure he didn't do it again. Not that he would; she had probably hidden everything already anyway. But he shouldn't allow them to fight, so with a sigh he put down his newspaper and headed upstairs.

They had quieted by the time he'd made his way to the second floor, and he nearly considered not bothering. Nevertheless, he came up to Aria's door and knocked. The quiet talking that had been going on stopped, and after half a second, Aria came to the door.

"Yes Dad?"

"Is everything fine up here? I thought I heard you two arguing," he peered inside the room, to where Mike sat on her bed, slightly put out.

"Yeah, everything's fine. We, ummm, we talked and we're good now," she looked at Mike for support, and he nodded, but kept his eyes on the ground.

Byron peered suspiciously around the room, and Aria crossed her arms and sent him an _Anything else?_ look, so he nodded and left.

_~*T*~_

Aria turned back after she closed the door, breathing out a sigh of relief. Clearly her dad hadn't heard anything, and she'd been able to talk Mike around. It had been simple, compared to how she had often envisioned breaking the news to her parents would be, mostly because he was more concerned with their parents than who she was dating. And Mom and Dad's problems were _their_ problems, her boyfriend had nothing to do with it. Once he'd reluctantly agreed that they couldn't push their parents one way or the other, he'd asked about her actual relationship, which was when her dad had come up.

"What's this?" Mike had been looking around her room, had found the poem she kept under her pillow, and had pulled it out.

"That's _personal_," she said, snatching the paper out of his hands. "Besides, don't you have homework to do?"

_So, that's that. Ok, I'm not _apologizing_, but I do want to point out that midway through this I got a _really_ bad cold. It was debilitating, I didn't even do my homework._

_Anyway, someone said something about him being protective, and that would probably happen later, sooooo... I was going to answer you guys, but it seemed like most people just said that they liked my stuff. Which, nothing against that, ever, but it doesn't really warrant a reply past 'thank you,' and I'd hope you'd realize I was grateful through these author comments I continually post (You guys are reading these, right? I'm not just amusing myself?). Anyway. About this chapter, because that's supposed to go here, not the replies – those are supposed to go at the top – isn't it awfully clever the way I just cut out a lot of dialogue I didn't want to write? I thought it was spiffy. I considered extending their conversation at the end, but it wouldn't really do anything for the plot. Besides, I'm sure you can imagine the usual brother-sister exchanges about "he wrote you a _poem_? *giggles*"_


	6. Lesson 5

_So someone gave me an idea which grew on me, and that's what this one is. I know I didn't reply last time (the idea was given before the advent of my last chapter), but I am now in the form of a whole chapter around your idea. So, yay! _

_Someone also said that they wished there was more fluff in the last chapter, and I'm thinking of adding it on. After all, as I said earlier, I'm here to bring **you **guys enjoyment._ _Also, I've been doing some more writing on that first chapter idea, because you guys did ask for it, and I did promise to follow up on your requests, but I kind of need a title. So... suggestions would be much appreciated. _

**Lesson 5: Don't even hint at your relationship**

This is set in episode 13

"Aria?"

Aria looked up at her dad. Her mind had gone blank shortly after Mike had told her about Noel, who had told Mike a 'rumor' about the fact that Ezra was hooking up with a student. It was obvious _why_ he'd told Mike; so that she'd hear of it. She wasn't completely sure what her dad had asked of her, but he clearly wanted a response. She felt so overwhelmed with Noel and with A and the entire relationship with Ezra, and for a moment it just felt like it would be so nice to just tell them about everything.

"Dad, I've totally screwed up," she began, then paused, the actual words not forming in her mind. As she searched for words, she saw the dawning of comprehension and suspicion on their faces. She felt a strong panic, actually seeing them partly respond to her hinting at what was really going on, and she switched tracks quickly.

"I promised Spencer I'd study at her place tonight. We've got this huge midterm, she's totally gonna kill me."

And she was gone, running from the house in her haste to get to Ezra, to talk to him, to comfort him.

_~*T*~_

"Do you really think she's going to Spencer's?" asked Mike.

His dad paused. "Yeah, she must be." He looked at Mike.

There had been a moment, perhaps a few seconds, where Mike had been sure that the next words from Aria's mouth would be an admission of guilt. Then it had been gone. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Aria was lying, and maybe, just maybe, going to see her teacher. But if his dad was planning to not mention what they had both thought, then neither would he. But he was still going to find out where she was going.

"I think she gave us probable cause to doubt. What if she's going to a crazy party with drugs and alcohol?"

"What exactly do you want me to do? Call her home? What if she _is_ going to Spencer's?"

"We could follow her. Then, if she goes to Spencer's, no harm, no foul. And if she isn't, then there was probable cause all along." Mike shared a look with his dad. They both definitely thought she was going to her teacher's, but it seemed like his dad was going to try to avoid the issue. "Come on," he pleaded.

Byron sighed.

_~*T*~_

"Well she's definitely not going to Spencer's." Byron still wasn't sure how he'd fond himself in this situation; trailing his daughter to, probably, her teacher's apartment, which Mike had quickly googled for their benefit. He was reluctant to admit that that might be where she was going, and so had not looked at the address, and Mike had been tact enough not to even say that's what he had done.

They were a few cars behind Aria, and every once in a while they would lose her, but Mike's directions had, unfortunately, led them to find her each time. Aria passed the apartment complex, parking a few blocks down the street. Byron quickly parked his car as well, out of notice in between many other cars in a large customer parking lot. They both leaned down as she passed the car, then peered up again. She was definitely headed for the complex.

Mike turned to Byron, expression mischievous.

"You know, there's lots of other people in there she could be visiting. Maybe we should trail her inside, just in case."

"No," said Byron. "Absolutely not. I'm not going to follow her in there."

Mike shrugged. "I will."

He jumped out of the car and, after Aria had entered, quickly crossed to the building. Byron made a move to get up, then sighed and sank into his seat. He'd wait until Mike got back.

_~*T*~_

Mike entered the hallway of the complex carefully and quietly. He looked around, just in time to see the elevator doors closing. _Ok, so she's going up the elevator, I'll take the stairs._ He quickly found the stairs, following the signs, and made his way to third floor. He checked his phone – it really was amazing the amount of information that was available on the internet. Apartment number 3B. He was searching the corridors for the right one when he heard footsteps and froze. He leaned against the wall, trying to make himself less visible, then relaxed as the person passed right by him. He sneaked a look around the corner. _Aria_.

He followed her, silently. Or at least, he thought he was. She'd stopped once and looked back, then had continued. He saw her come to a door and knock. He didn't see the number from this angle, and part of him really hoped it wasn't 3B. Despite his suspicions, it just seemed so... _impossible_ that Aria was dating Mr. Fitz. When her knock didn't receive an answer, she leaned down and took a key out from under the rug and let herself in. He waited for a minute, then walked up to the door.

3B.

He just stared at the number on the door, not believing it even after the car ride, and the following and everything. Then curiosity overcame him and, looking around to make sure no one was watching, he pressed his ear against the door.

" - is the most real and honest thing in my life," that was Mr. Fitz. He could tell it was. "And that's the thing I hope you'll remember. No matter what happens tomorrow, that won't change."

"I know how you feel about me." That was Aria. It was about this point that he began to feel like he was intruding on an extremely personal and private moment, but just as he was deciding to leave, Mr. Fitz said, "I'm not going to change Noel's grade," which brought him back, hoping there would be more explanation in their conversation.

"And I _will not _let him hurt you. If I resign tomorrow, and get the hell out of Rosewood, he'll have no reason to tell anyone about us." A pause, then, "hey, even though this doesn't look right, it has always _felt_ right. And I will not let him change this into something that feels _wrong_. I just can't."

Clearly they were back to the romantic stuff, thought Mike, which was his signal to leave, and think about everything he'd heard somewhere else, where he didn't have the chance of being thought of as a creep who listened at people's doorways. But just before he left he caught Aria's heartfelt declaration;

"I love you."

_~*T*~_

Mike re-entered the car, slowly buckling himself in, clearly lost in thought. And while this was a clear indicator that what they had suspected was correct, Byron needed to actually hear it before he could accept it and decide what to do with his information.

When Mike didn't say anything, he prodded, "Well?"

"Oh. Yeah, they're dating each other."

"And, Noel?"

"Um, I didn't quite catch why, but it seems he's planning to tell the principle about, um, Aria's relationship. And Mr. Fitz is planning to resign and leave Rosewood before he can." Mike looked at Byron.

Byron sighed. "So, we can just not do anything, and things will work themselves out."

A faraway look appeared in Mike's eyes. "I suppose so."

As Byron started the car drove onto the street, Mike asked, "Dad, could you drop me off at Jason's place? He can drive me to school as well."

Byron looked at him suspiciously, then shrugged. "Alright."

_~*T*~_

"Remind me again why we're doing this."

Mike had, with Jason's help, broken into the school after hours. There had just been something about the way the two had seemed so – so in love that had made Mike come up with this crazy idea. When they were younger, he and Jason had decided to learn a skill that would help them in doing illegal activity, as most kids do (learning code, martial arts, etc.). Jason had gone with lock picking, Mike with hacking. Neither was excellent at their skill, but they were passable. Right now Jason was picking the lock for the cabinet where the teachers held midterm exam answer keys. Earlier, Mike had looked up Noel's schedule, and had decided in which three classes Noel would 'cheat.'

"Because Noel's bothering my sister."

"Yeah, family loyalty and all that, but getting the guy suspended? What'd he do that's so bad?" Jason had been pestering him for a while, and Mike had been evading response. This time he chose a sigh, followed by;

"I can't say. It's personal."

Jason gave him a look, then pulled the cabinet open.

"Thanks."

"No problem. We stick together, no matter what."

Mike grinned as he looked through the files, searching for the right ones. As he pulled them out he handed them to Jason, who whistled.

"Three? That's going to hurt really bad."

Mike frowned. "Maybe I should add another one?"

Jason considered, then shook his head. "Nah, they're probably going to suspend him for a while as it is."

Mike exhaled a sigh of relief. "All right, let's go."

They headed over to Noel's locker, where they put the answer keys neatly inside. Then they left an envelope on the principal's desk, informing him of the 'horrid cheating' that was going on in Noel's locker, suggesting that they examine the matter as quickly as possible to prevent the hiding of evidence.

As they walked back to Jason's house – it was only a couple of blocks away – they grinned at each other in triumph. Now all that was left was to make it to school the next day in time to see Noel's capture, something both of them were looking forward to. It would be the first of their plans that would come to fruition in such a public way with such large results, and they were eager to see it play out.

_~*T*~_

Mike and Jason headed over to the hallway where Noel's locker was kept. They were a little early, but they entertained themselves while they waited. Mike just hoped it would happen before Fitz – he couldn't really think of him as Ezra, but Mr. Fitz seemed so bulky for his sister's boyfriend – tried to resign. His heart leaped to his chest as Fitz left his classroom, sharing a look with Aria. _Please happen now,_ he thought. _Please. _

He sighed in relief when the principal walked out with an extremely grumpy Noel. They opened his locker and looked through the papers, clearly displeased.

"Somebody set me up, ok?"

"You'll have to explain this one, Mr. Khan," said the principal, and Mike saw Fitz stop and turn. He could have whooped with pleasure.

"You have to believe me!" said Noel.

"You stole the answers, to three midterms, Mr. Khan. I can't imagine ever believing in you again."

Mike looked at Aria, who was completely shocked, and had turned to look at Fitz. Her friends also looked shocked, causing Mike to believe that they also knew what was going on.

He felt Jason looking over at Aria too, and a protective instinct made him turn and pull his friend away.

"Come on, let's get to class," he said.

Jason followed, then said quietly, "I'm guessing I'm not supposed to ask if your sister's dating her teacher, huh?"

Mike stopped in his tracks, and looked at him. Very seriously he said, "No. You're not."

Jason nodded. "Then let's get to class."

_Well? I thought this was pretty cool, especially since what the people say are word for word. All I can say is I really tried, and I really enjoyed this storyline. I did feel like it happened a bit too fast, did you guys feel that way? I really don't like it when stories happen really quickly, but that also means that my stories (proper ones, not these one shots) are really long. The one I'm writing right now (not fanfiction, an actual novel type thing) is over a hundred pages and it's not even halfway done. Anyway, that's really beside the point, if there was even a point here to begin with. _

_Any improvements or other suggestions? Because this one will end the whole 'doing things in public' thing, and next I'm going to focus on people finding incriminating evidence. There won't be too much of that, I think, and then I'll move on from there. As always, any mistakes you guys find, I'd love if you pointed out._


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